Egalitarianism

Status:

Current

This research also includes a focus on general issues in egalitarian political philosophy including:

Capabilities and equality: Legitimate and Justified?

This research addresses some problems associated with how we select a list of capabilities suitable for a conception of justice. Broadly speaking there are two methods for selecting a list of capabilities. The first is the subjective approach discussed by Amartya Sen. This approach argues that what is on the list is a matter for people to decide for themselves. The second is the objective approach endorsed by Martha Nussbaum and Elizabeth Anderson, which claims that there is an objective list of capabilities that constitute a good life for people. Neither approach seems entirely satisfactory. The problems facing either version of the capability approach are equally severe in their own way. I suggest a framework for how we can solve this “selection problem”.